Hello,


I need a little advice on replacing one of our exterior doors.
The door measurement is 31 1/2" x 79" so I'm assuming that the door I
need to order is 32x80? Also the current door is wood, I have another
exterior door which is steel, should I change the wood door to steel
or will the wood door hold up better? I would have to paint it white
so it matches the top one. We have painted the wood door a few times
and it has held up excellent over the past 30 years.

One other question on labor, I'm getting quotes between $500-600 for
the installation which will have to include the removal of the
existing storm door and reinstallation onto the new door as well as
picking the door up from the local supply company. I live just outside
of the Philadelphia area, Home Depot charges $450 for the
installation, is a budget of $300 unreasonable?

Thanks,
Nick

wrote in message
...
Hello,


I need a little advice on replacing one of our exterior doors.
The door measurement is 31 1/2" x 79" so I'm assuming that the door I
need to order is 32x80? Also the current door is wood, I have another
exterior door which is steel, should I change the wood door to steel
or will the wood door hold up better? I would have to paint it white
so it matches the top one. We have painted the wood door a few times
and it has held up excellent over the past 30 years.

One other question on labor, I'm getting quotes between $500-600 for
the installation which will have to include the removal of the
existing storm door and reinstallation onto the new door as well as
picking the door up from the local supply company. I live just outside
of the Philadelphia area, Home Depot charges $450 for the
installation, is a budget of $300 unreasonable?

Thanks,
Nick

Metal doors are more secure.

Installation price depends on your situation and type of door.

I don't recommend HD install. Yeah, they'll keep coming out as long as you
complain but I think you're better off finding a local door installer to do
it. If you use HD the installer will be irritated because it just means HD
gets part of his money for being a middleman.The installer will cut corners
to make up for the difference. That's what happened to me with my last HD
door install.

olddog

wrote in message
One other question on labor, I'm getting quotes between $500-600 for
the installation
Home Depot charges $450 for the
installation, is a budget of $300 unreasonable?

No, you can budget whatever you want. It has nothing, however, to do with
actual costs.

wrote in message
...
Hello,


I need a little advice on replacing one of our exterior doors.
The door measurement is 31 1/2" x 79" so I'm assuming that the door I
need to order is 32x80? Also the current door is wood, I have another
exterior door which is steel, should I change the wood door to steel
or will the wood door hold up better? I would have to paint it white
so it matches the top one. We have painted the wood door a few times
and it has held up excellent over the past 30 years.

One other question on labor, I'm getting quotes between $500-600 for
the installation which will have to include the removal of the
existing storm door and reinstallation onto the new door as well as
picking the door up from the local supply company. I live just outside
of the Philadelphia area, Home Depot charges $450 for the
installation, is a budget of $300 unreasonable?


*Apparently it is since you haven't got a quote for less than $450.00. Take
a framing square and insert in your door frame. If your house has settled a
bit in the past 30 years that door frame will be a little out of square. It
will take a lot of work to make a new door swing perfectly. It might be
easier with a prehung door, but I am no expert.

On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:05:13 -0400, "John Grabowski"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
Hello,


I need a little advice on replacing one of our exterior doors.
The door measurement is 31 1/2" x 79" so I'm assuming that the door I
need to order is 32x80? Also the current door is wood, I have another
exterior door which is steel, should I change the wood door to steel
or will the wood door hold up better? I would have to paint it white
so it matches the top one. We have painted the wood door a few times
and it has held up excellent over the past 30 years.

One other question on labor, I'm getting quotes between $500-600 for
the installation which will have to include the removal of the
existing storm door and reinstallation onto the new door as well as
picking the door up from the local supply company. I live just outside
of the Philadelphia area, Home Depot charges $450 for the
installation, is a budget of $300 unreasonable?


*Apparently it is since you haven't got a quote for less than $450.00. Take
a framing square and insert in your door frame. If your house has settled a
bit in the past 30 years that door frame will be a little out of square. It
will take a lot of work to make a new door swing perfectly. It might be
easier with a prehung door, but I am no expert.

Sorry I should have mentioned that I was going with a prehung door.

On Oct 12, 11:31*am, wrote:
Hello,

* * *I need a little advice on replacing one of our exterior doors.
The door measurement is 31 1/2" x 79" so I'm assuming that the door I
need to order is 32x80? Also the current door is wood, I have another
exterior door which is steel, should I change the wood door to steel
or will the wood door hold up better? I would have to paint it white
so it matches the top one. We have painted the wood door a few times
and it has held up excellent over the past 30 years.

One other question on labor, I'm getting quotes between $500-600 for
the installation which will have to include the removal of the
existing storm door and reinstallation onto the new door as well as
picking the door up from the local supply company. I live just outside
of the Philadelphia area, Home Depot charges $450 for the
installation, is a budget of $300 unreasonable?

Thanks,
Nick

$450, to put in a prehung door means it has a frame, its about a 1
hour job, I am doing 3 and expect to pay near 200 with hydraulic door
closers that take more time than a door to instal. Fiberglass doors
insulate better than metal foam core.

wrote

I need a little advice on replacing one of our exterior doors.
The door measurement is 31 1/2" x 79" so I'm assuming that the door I
need to order is 32x80? Also the current door is wood, I have another

Yes, but measure a prehung one at the local HD to make sure. In an older
house, it is possible you have a 30inch at that spot (unlikely, but could
be). If your 31 1/2 thre accounted for the frame too, then 32 is right.

exterior door which is steel, should I change the wood door to steel
or will the wood door hold up better? I would have to paint it white

Steel actually holds up better with minimal care. Most steel ones come in
white as cheapest. You pay extra for another color.

One other question on labor, I'm getting quotes between $500-600 for
the installation which will have to include the removal of the
existing storm door and reinstallation onto the new door as well as
picking the door up from the local supply company. I live just outside
of the Philadelphia area, Home Depot charges $450 for the
installation, is a budget of $300 unreasonable?

Ouch! You may be able to find a local handyman who will do it for far less
if you pickup the door and have it ready. This is vry area dependant but I
paiid only 100$ labor to have this done here in Norfolk. At that, I paid
more than the fellow asked for but the work was great and he underpriced
himself.

Sorry I should have mentioned that I was going with a prehung door.

Somewhat tricky to do yourself if you've never seen it done. Pretty easy
but really takes 2 people to make it go fast (so one can hold while the
other shims etc). *If* you have some good friends, at least one of which is
experienced, you could be the second person and put it in. The door alone
(prehung, sans screen) should run about 150$ tops for a stock simple one
with no peephole.

Our last one took about 2 hours and only that because we had some framing
issues to deal with (had to raise that block above the door frame as it was
too low for the 80 inch top in our case).

On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 10:45:36 -0700 (PDT), ransley
wrote:

On Oct 12, 11:31*am, wrote:
Hello,

* * *I need a little advice on replacing one of our exterior doors.
The door measurement is 31 1/2" x 79" so I'm assuming that the door I
need to order is 32x80? Also the current door is wood, I have another
exterior door which is steel, should I change the wood door to steel
or will the wood door hold up better? I would have to paint it white
so it matches the top one. We have painted the wood door a few times
and it has held up excellent over the past 30 years.

One other question on labor, I'm getting quotes between $500-600 for
the installation which will have to include the removal of the
existing storm door and reinstallation onto the new door as well as
picking the door up from the local supply company. I live just outside
of the Philadelphia area, Home Depot charges $450 for the
installation, is a budget of $300 unreasonable?

Thanks,
Nick

$450, to put in a prehung door means it has a frame, its about a 1
hour job, I am doing 3 and expect to pay near 200 with hydraulic door
closers that take more time than a door to instal. Fiberglass doors
insulate better than metal foam core.


The $450 from Home Depot is just for the labor in my area.